25 Benefits of Martial Arts for your Child

At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, we believe that a child’s total well being, both psychological and physical, can be strengthened simultaneously. While the physical aspects of exercise and Martial Arts training improve your child’s general health, it likewise improves emotional health with increased self-esteem and self-confidence as well as decreased tension, stress, anxiety and depression. Here are just a few of the Benefits of our Martial Arts Programs for your child:

Self-Defense – The instructors at The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts have trained for many years to make sure everything we teach is reality based. We’ve trained under some of the best martial artists in the world and are dedicated to staying on the cutting-edge of REALISTIC martial arts training – for ourselves and for your children! With that said… Your child may still be in the developmental stage of their life and will focus only on the basics of our Martial Arts Curriculum. Basic Techniques include: Proper exercise form, punching, kicking, blocking and evasion techniques.

Focusing and Listening – At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, we know Focus plays a key role in the mindset of children who have limited attention spans at this stage in their life. Our Program will build their attention span… teaching your child to focus on the task at hand while improving their listening and reaction skills at the same time. As a result, your child will excel in physical activity, improve their ability to stay focused, and become an astute listener in the dojo, at home, and in school.

Teamwork and Positive Social Interaction – Teamwork is necessary for any young child to develop. It is at this stage in their life that they develop an understanding and a confidence in their ability to work with others. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, our activity based curriculum and teamwork oriented environment, develops character and teaches your child that the more we work together in the dojo, at home and at school…the more we get accomplished.

Self-Control and Good Decision Making – Self-control refers to the training that one gives one’s self to accomplish a certain task or to adopt a particular pattern of behavior, even though one is unfocused or would rather be doing something else. For example, when your child has learned to listen to mom and dad, pay attention in class while listening to the teacher instead of talking to his friend next to him, he has demonstrated the ability to self-control… while making the good decision to do so. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, as both parents and instructors, We work on this skill set every single day.

Balance and Posture – For many 3-6 year olds, one of the skillsets that is often overlooked, but needs constant work and attention is balance and posture… basic skills necessary for almost any activity. Poor posture leads to cramped organs, improper breathing, and a whole host of other unhealthy bodily expressions. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, Our Little Dragons Program helps to build strong balance, healthy postures and balanced movement through the use of age appropriate forms and drills – often presented as a engaging game, to help developing students improve these fundamental skills.

Memorization and Retention – At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, we utilize fun and effective memory and retention drills for both Martial Arts and real world applications. Aside from Martial Arts etiquette, skill-based and technique driven retention, our memorization requirements include parents home and cell numbers, emergency contact numbers and residential address retention. You’ll find in many cases, our students are pre-prepared and learn these life skills prior to being introduced to them at their school. Our program improves memorization skills essential for well rounded student development and school academics in the near future.

Self-Discipline and Responsibility – Our instructors are masters at creating a vision for your child that self-discipline is fun and rewarding. We instill this vision through interactive and teamwork oriented games, drills and real world activities. Our age specific Martial Arts training techniques are used in correlation with a child’s household chore responsibility, their awareness to clean up after themselves and homework assignments accomplished in a timely manner. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, your child will begin to improve their ability to initiate accountability, follow directions and take pride in doing the right thing.

Physical Fitness and Healthy Living – It is important for children to understand the importance of being healthy and physically fit at an early age. Being physically fit is a necessity for any martial artist but more importantly… The sooner we enforce this concept, the healthier your child will be now… and the less difficult it will be to stay physically fit as they grow older. At the Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, we stress the importance of good eating while physical fitness activities are always fun and rewarding.

Coordination and Motor Skills – Children with strong bodies, fine tuned motor skills and physical coordination developed through Our Little Dragons Program will have improved: general health, sports performance, as well as other physical activities such as dancing or bike riding. Our Coordination and Motor Skills Training will develop your child’s cardiovascular system, their muscular strength, and will create a general kind of body awareness which can only be gained from a whole body method of Martial Arts training. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, Your child will be more coordinated, less susceptible to injuries, and be much more aware of their body and how to use it correctly.

Self-Esteem and Confidence Building – Our Youth Program improves a children’s self esteem through consistent positive verbal reinforcement and our Life Skill Stripe reward system. When kids work to earn their next belt level, not only are they learning basic world-class self-defense, they are building self-esteem and learning to feel good about themselves. Plus, unlike most other martial arts programs, our Martial Arts Programs have no fees for testing or advancement. We believe a student must earn their next level, not pay for it!

Stranger Awareness and Personal Safety – At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, we talk with our Little Dragons about home safety, traffic, fire safety, anti-drug, dangerous substances and strangers in an age-appropriate way. We can’t expect a three-year old to understand the subtleties of stranger awareness, but at this particular age, it is enough to teach them to stay by a parents side when out… and not to wander off. As your child gets older they will learn the difference between meeting someone new when Mom or Dad is present, and being approached by a stranger when they are alone.

Self-Confidence – Nothing can take the place of the security in knowing that your child can defend themselves should the need ever arise…and your own child’s self confidence in knowing this themselves is immense.

“People who continue to practice the martial arts for prolonged periods are different from the general populace in these ways: they have a lower level of anxiety; an increased sense of responsibility; they are less likely to be radical; they have an increased level of self-esteem; and they are more socially intelligent.” (Source – Psychology Today, May 1985.)

Respect – One of the most important words in martial arts is respect. Students are taught to respect their instructors, each other, and themselves. Our instructors spend time in class discussing the importance of respecting school teachers and parents. Respect is often missing in many facets of today’s society. This is what separates The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts Youth Program from other sports. A child’s social behavior should be directly linked to his or her progression in the martial arts class. It’s not just about winning, Our Youth Program is about personal growth and becoming a better person.

Discipline, Behavior and School – We have alot of fun at the Northshore Academy of Martial Arts but instructors will not tolerate excessive talking or goofing around in the school. Improved behavior in a Martial arts class often translates into improved behavior at school. Improved behavior at school often translates into improved grades. We require behavior reports from the parents to make sure that the student is focused in the classroom and at home… Not just the dojo. We want to make sure that our students are working on their Martial Arts technique, improving their behavior at home, as well as improving their grades at school. We teach a very effective form of self defense and want to make sure that the right kids are learning it.

Great Physical Fitness while Battling Childhood Obesity – Did you know that childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 25 years? The first step to preventing childhood obesity is addressing the problem before it occurs. If you catch obesity early on, there are ways to prevent your child from developing further health risks. If your child is already overweight, it is important to understand the psychological effects obesity has on children that are potentially more damaging than the physical side effects.

The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts is dedicated to empowering your child with self-confidence while rewarding them with achievement. For children with low self-esteem issues, martial arts teaches confidence and self-discipline while providing engaging physical activity. The stamina and endurance children develop during Martial Arts training in our youth program, results in natural weight loss and an improvement in overall physical and mental health.

Anti-Bullying Education – Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. Kids who bully use their power – such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity – to control or harm others. Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally and purposely excluding someone from a group. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may experience serious, lasting problems.

Our anti-bullying approach is based on the NSA martial arts principles of redirection and straightforward assertiveness. Students are taught to manage situations without the use of violence, learning ways to assess threats, redirect verbal assaults and mobilize the audience, which is a critical factor in empowering the bully.

Personal Attention – At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, We know the impact a good instructor can have on a student. Our Rank Certified Instructors are experienced, patient, enthusiastic, and teach with a perfect blend of discipline and fun. With up to 5 Instructors on the floor during any given class, every student receives the personal attention they deserve.

Social Skills and Friendship – Making friends is an important part of childhood. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, we provide the positive atmosphere and family oriented activities necessary to help young children make new friends, while teaching them the concepts of sharing, compassion, and conflict resolution

Free NSA Photography Website – As part of the Northshore Academy of Martial Arts Youth Program, students and parents will have access to our Free and dedicated Photography website. Right now this website houses thousands of photographs of NSA Students including NSA Student Events, Seminars and Social Activities. We love the NSA Historical aspect of this website, while Parents love the ability to download and print Hi-Resolution photographs of their child’s activities for Free.

Video Based Training – As part of the Northshore Academy of Martial Arts Youth Program, students will have access to our exclusive, state of the art, Video Based Online Training Website. This is not a replacement of our on-site Core Curriculum Training program, rather, It is an enhancement to it.

Students will have Martial Arts belt advancement requirements to fulfill and training at home will be essential. What better way to practice their kata, drills and Martial Art techniques at home, then by watching our instructors perform them. Students will enjoy practicing and preparing for belt advancement while they watch, mimic and learn through our video based learning system.

Smile, Laugh and Having Fun – We learned a long time ago that kids learn faster when they are having fun. Keeping children interested in their Martial Arts training requires an element of fun and games. Traditionalists are usually only concerned with the discipline and structure of their training, but incorporating fun involving proper techniques will add to the value of training and keep the kids hungry to improve themselves even more.

In addition to our regular classes we host numerous events for our students including picnics, bowling, open house, holiday and children’s birthday parties. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, our youth have a great time meeting new friends while developing character and learning life-changing martial arts skills. Our Parents have fun with a staff and organization they can trust.

Get your child started in our Martial Arts Program Today!

We encourage you to take advantage of our family discounts and free trial period…Try us out while meeting friendly staff, parents and students. Click here to get started with your free week trial period. If you have any questions about our programs, Please feel free to contact us at 847.573.1672. Thank you for your interest in The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts… We look forward to hearing from you!